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How much time do you actually spend on your business?

by BloggingPro
23 replies
For many of us, our websites are more than just a hobby--they are a business.

My question for you (especially if your new) is how many hours a week do you spend building and promoting your various sites, products and/or offers?

When I first started nearly three years ago I was spending more than 40 hours a week behind the computer working on my sites. I had to learn from the ground up and would work from 8:30 to 5pm at my job and then start working on my projects, reading or learning, from 6pm to 12am or 1am every night.

On weekends I was spending damn near 8 to 10 hours a day trying to figure this IM thing out.

Today I get to sit back and watch my sites make money, however, I'll never forget the time where I was working my freaking ass off to get to that holy "passive income" goal.

So where are you at? Are you working like a madman to make money or have you reached the point where the ship now runs itself, and you just need to steer it?
#business #spend #time
  • Profile picture of the author ProvenViral
    Alot of my websites are automated - I'll spend around 1 hour for a website and strategize it with my methods to let it get recurring traffic and an insane amount of traffic as well. I do PPC, and CPA as well as services which is a great combination. I've been reading some of your posts you have a great foundation on IM as far as I can see =]
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  • Profile picture of the author sscot
    How to achieve goals without dedication? I work more than 14 hours per day.
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  • Profile picture of the author tayuyaa
    Well I build lists and write emails....so Id say that it does not take
    hours to do this...Id say I spend around 3-4 hours a day maximum..
    But sometimes you need to do more, but with a list you have the ability
    to not work to much...

    But the learning curve was long, waaaay to long....
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    • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
      Originally Posted by tayuyaa View Post

      Well I build lists and write emails....so Id say that it does not take
      hours to do this...Id say I spend around 3-4 hours a day maximum..
      But sometimes you need to do more, but with a list you have the ability
      to not work to much...

      But the learning curve was long, waaaay to long....
      The learning curve of various concepts was killer for me. Sometimes it just takes a few mistakes before you figure things out. I remember being terrified of Wordpress and today I rely on it to build my sites quickly and efficiently.

      Even things like writing articles used to take me forever. I was used to creative writing and the sales article vibe I was trying to emulate caused much struggle.

      Honestly, and I may be wrong here, making money wasn't the hard part--it was learning HOW to position yourself to make money that was.
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      You're going to fail. If you're afraid of failure then you do not belong in the Internet Marketing Business. Period.
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  • Profile picture of the author TBInternetMarketing
    Great question. I think you have to find a balance with IM, especially when you are starting out. A lot of folks burn out when they first start.

    They have these high hopes, and 3 weeks later they have been at it 11 hours a day and not made a dime.
    It takes time to build your online business, and while I am a fan of hard work, I would say you need to be realistic.
    I try to spend a couple of hours each evening on my business. I outsource the stuff I hate doing, and do the stuff I enjoy. This makes it feel more like a hobby than work.
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  • Profile picture of the author JustinDupre
    However long it takes to make sales and meet your goals. I've pulled an all night and work on weekend all the times.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Gordon
    Most of my websites don't require much care, so I spend time creating new ones. My business isn't too much about those quality websites, I make money based on quantity.
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    • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
      Originally Posted by Ben Gordon View Post

      Most of my websites don't require much care, so I spend time creating new ones. My business isn't too much about those quality websites, I make money based on quantity.
      I'll be getting into a niche later this week where this is what I'll be doing. After setting up sites with 50 to 100 pages the last few years it'll be nice to build five pagers and then move on.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Miranda
    1-2 hours per day On a light day. Maybe I would spend 3 on a busy day.
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  • Profile picture of the author O0o0O
    Some days I spend a few hours, other days I spend up to ten or more hours. It depends on what projects I have going on. The great thing about it though is that it's flexible, and I can spend more time with my family.
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    • Profile picture of the author shaunyb1
      Every spare waking moment, even over Christmas I'm up before the kids awake. love it!
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    • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
      Originally Posted by O0o0O View Post

      Some days I spend a few hours, other days I spend up to ten or more hours. It depends on what projects I have going on. The great thing about it though is that it's flexible, and I can spend more time with my family.
      That is definitely the coolest thing about IM. You can build your empire by sitting in front of your computer for hours on end accomplishing a lot, or you can do it slowly over time. The only thing stopping us from success is ourselves.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gubaru
    To work a full time job and to work on your business full time is very impressive and your story is very inspirational especially for people that aren't putting in the necessary hours to help their business grow.
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  • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
    After 15 years at it, I still work many 16 hour days, not because
    I have to but because I'm working on something that I enjoy
    working on.

    I do plan on cutting WAY back next year... as in I'm taking
    several cruises, starting with the 8-day Marketers Cruise
    in January. I also have two 30-day vacations planned. I'll
    take my laptop with me, but 90% of the work involved in
    running my businesses will be done by others.


    Willie
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    • Profile picture of the author David Keith
      i have been working online for 15+ years (not in the "how to IM realm), and i still work 6 hours most weekdays.

      but like willie alluded to, the word work is misleading. I am doing what i love when on the internet, so its not work. raking leaves is work, its 100+ in south Texas.
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  • Profile picture of the author tekman
    Hi, blogging pro, how much money do you make from the net? I have been off and on since 1999 or so. I made some money, didn't make money, with ups and downs and bascially gave up in 2006, but kept a couple of blogs hosted. The past couple of years I have been taking college classes and working a regular offline job part time. So I didn't work on any sites, but during the summer I try and write, post to blogs, do keyword research, buy domains ect. I plan on outsourcing some when fall starts because I won't have much time outside school and work. The ironic thing is I will probably start making a livable income online and not actually use the degree that I will eventually get.
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  • Profile picture of the author CyberSorcerer
    I guess I'm the only weard one here. I work about 16 hours a day 7 days a week.

    But also remember that IM isn't 100% of my business. I'm also a security researcher, freelance web designer/developer, and a number of other things.

    The thing is though I love what I do but also I had to find some way of making a living about 9-10 years ago because I injured my back and can't be on my feet for a long period. Working from home online was the ticket. So it all works out fine.
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    • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
      Originally Posted by CyberSorcerer View Post

      I guess I'm the only weard one here. I work about 16 hours a day 7 days a week.

      But also remember that IM isn't 100% of my business. I'm also a security researcher, freelance web designer/developer, and a number of other things.

      The thing is though I love what I do but also I had to find some way of making a living about 9-10 years ago because I injured my back and can't be on my feet for a long period. Working from home online was the ticket. So it all works out fine.
      First off your not weird at all. When I first began I was working very hard on my websites, traffic funnels, SEO, and more. I would go to work from 8:30am to 5pm, eat dinner and then begin working on my own stuff by 6PM. I would work until 1AM just about every night of the week.

      On the weekends I would work damn near 12 hours a day. Building links, writing content, reading new guides on methods that sounded so alien at the time.

      I consumed, I learned, and most importantly I implemented. Because of that today I can sit back and not work nearly as hard, while seeing my sites make money each and every day.

      I recently started marketing in a new niche, so I have been working on those sites a lot, but within six months I'll be back to normal.
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  • Profile picture of the author try_hard_samurai
    I spend about 10+ hours per day. (I got laid off so I have the time to burn.)

    I've also decided to start learning a programming language or two as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author nagidr
    from my experience,the problem is that too much time is being wasted
    on unfocused activities.
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  • Profile picture of the author gekko2.0
    I usually spend between 6-10 hours a day it just depends on how many projects I have going on
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  • Profile picture of the author Michele Miller
    I can totally relate to this post, and the enormous amount of hours I put into learning IM when I wasn't running my other home business back in 2002. I stayed up until 3 a.m. most nights of the week trying to learn SEO, web design, marketing, back-end scripts, etc. I was simply "determined" and was not going to give up. It wasn't like there was someone there to show you what to do, and so many things that could have been taught by someone just showing you how in 20 minutes sometimes took me hours to figure out. Goodness knows, I would have loved to have YouTube vids back then! I remember being thrilled when our local college offered their first web design class! LOL...

    Anyway, I don't work on my business til 3 a.m. anymore, but I still put in some 16 hour days, then some 3 hour days, and also some no-hour days, other than customer service type emails etc. When I do the long stints now it's because I'm working on learning new things or trying to complete new projects.

    It's worth all the hard work and effort in the end, so I hope this encourages others to not give up. There is a lot more hands-on help/tutorials available now and that is a good thing.

    Michele

    Originally Posted by BloggingPro View Post

    For many of us, our websites are more than just a hobby--they are a business.

    My question for you (especially if your new) is how many hours a week do you spend building and promoting your various sites, products and/or offers?

    When I first started nearly three years ago I was spending more than 40 hours a week behind the computer working on my sites. I had to learn from the ground up and would work from 8:30 to 5pm at my job and then start working on my projects, reading or learning, from 6pm to 12am or 1am every night.

    On weekends I was spending damn near 8 to 10 hours a day trying to figure this IM thing out.

    Today I get to sit back and watch my sites make money, however, I'll never forget the time where I was working my freaking ass off to get to that holy "passive income" goal.

    So where are you at? Are you working like a madman to make money or have you reached the point where the ship now runs itself, and you just need to steer it?
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